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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23622193">Demons, Drive-ins and Dives</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/penna_nomen/pseuds/penna_nomen'>penna_nomen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bechdel Test Pass, Diners, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Food Network References, Food Porn, Pie, Restaurants, Scooby Doo References, dean baking</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:35:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,835</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23622193</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/penna_nomen/pseuds/penna_nomen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean becomes a fan of the Food Network series Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. He and Sam get involved when a haunted restaurant is featured on the show. Passes the Bechdel test. May cause cravings for pie.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Demons, Drive-ins and Dives</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This plot bunny has been hopping around for months and now felt like the right time to indulge it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Dean Winchester tore off a piece of warm bread and dipped it in the last bit of spicy sauce that had accompanied his dish. "I can't believe I've never had naan before," he said before he bit into it.</p><p>His brother chuckled.</p><p>"What?" Dean asked.</p><p>"I can believe it. Until recently the only things you would eat were burgers, pizza, tacos, and pie. I'm surprised you picked this place." Sam glanced around the crowded restaurant. "I wouldn't have expected authentic Indian food in a small town like this."</p><p>"It's good, right?" Dean gestured toward Sam's empty plate. It had been a tofu dish, but actually looked tempting. Maybe eating the stuff wouldn't be worse than starvation.</p><p>"Beyond good. But when did you become a foodie?"</p><p>Dean shrugged.</p><p>"C'mon. In the last two weeks you've taken us to Thai, Greek, and Cuban places. And now Indian. I'm starting to think you're picking jobs based on proximity to these restaurants. Did you pick up a guide to food hotspots?"</p><p>"Remember a few weeks ago when our motel didn't have any adult channels? When I was channel surfing I found the Food Network. If I can't have real porn, food porn is the next best thing. My favorite is <em>Diners, Drive-ins and Dives</em>," Dean said.</p><p>Their waiter dropped off their check. His name tag said his name was Nitin. "Yes! We were featured in an episode of Triple-D last year, and ever since business has been booming."</p><p>"Triple-D?" Sam repeated.</p><p>Nitin nodded. "It's a television show about humble restaurants with excellent food."</p><p>Dean pushed away his empty plate and leaned back in the booth. "And the host drives a classic car. It reminds me of Baby."</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Two years earlier…</strong>
</p><p>"I'll let you take a look around," said the real estate agent, and she walked back outside.</p><p>"She's scared of the ghost," Avalon Nakamura said.</p><p>Veronica Vasquez shook her head. "The house isn't haunted."</p><p>Avalon bit her lip, unconvinced that this was the right place for them. </p><p>"Just look at this fireplace." Veronica gestured toward the brick hearth in the middle of the open-concept space. "We can expand it, and turn it into a wood-burning oven. It's functional and a focal point. Our menu can feature pizzas cooked as diners watch, with your pies for dessert."  </p><p>Avalon closed her eyes a moment as she thought through the logistics. "What do we do in the summer? It will be sweltering in here."</p><p>"We replace this front wall with French doors, and double the size of the front porch for seating."</p><p>"Or even triple the size," Avalon said, looking out the front windows. "There's a nice flower bed. We can feature that." She took a pad of paper out of her jacket and made notes of their ideas. "We'll need to provide shade. The diners would be in a garden but protected from the elements."</p><p>"I told you. This place is perfect. I even have a name for it: The Pie Hole."</p><p>"The renovations will be expensive. How can we afford it?" Avalon asked.</p><p>"I found an investor." Veronica took a deep breath. "Don't frown at me. He'll be a silent partner. He won't meddle, I promise. And he's willing to wait a few years for us to pay him back. He loves the idea of a haunted restaurant."</p><p>"You said it isn't haunted."</p><p>"One hundred percent not haunted. My mom says that was a story the neighbors made up to keep kids from vandalizing it when it was foreclosed and vacant a few decades ago. But we can use the rumors in our marketing. Bring customers in to see the haunted house, and our food will bring them back again."</p><p>"It could work."</p><p>Veronica grinned. "So we're doing this?"</p><p>Avalon nodded, and let out a shaky breath. "We're opening a restaurant."</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Dean laughed when he saw the sign. "The Pie Hole? We gotta try this place."</p><p>"Why not?" Sam agreed as Dean pulled into the parking lot. For years they'd argued about where to eat, but these days Dean's eyes had been opened to a broader array of cuisines. Exploring new restaurants had become a favorite part of their road trips. "I don't remember seeing this one on the list." When they caught episodes of <em>Diners, Drive-ins and Dives</em>, Dean updated a list of the locations featured. They'd visited more than a dozen from the list so far.</p><p>The parking lot was full, and Dean pulled back onto the street to parallel park. "I've never heard of it. It just looks like a place that should be on the list." He gestured toward the parking lot before opening the car door. "The locals seem to agree."</p><p>It was nearly summer, and the weather at noon was in mild here in the outskirts of Baltimore. The glass doors at the front of the restaurant were wide open, and an expansive deck held round tables with sunshades over them. All of the tables were occupied. A teenager wearing jeans and a black shirt with a pie logo met them as they reached the deck. "Do you have reservations?" she asked.</p><p>"No," Dean said, and he looked surprised. Restaurants that took reservations weren't their style. "We were just passing through and saw the sign."</p><p>"It isn't normally this busy," she told them, "but the Triple-D crew is here today and all of our regulars wanted to be here for the filming."</p><p>Dean's eyes widened. "You mean… You're going to be on <em>Diners, Drive-ins and Dives</em>? Like, now?"</p><p>The girl pointed to a classic car in the parking lot. "That's Guy Fieri's car. He's back in the kitchen now, talking to the owners." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, but every table's full."</p><p>Dean was staring at the famous red car, and Sam said, "Is it okay if we stick around and watch? My brother's a big fan of the show." He shrugged. "Now he's got me into it, too."</p><p>"Seat them with us, sweetie," a woman said. "We have space for two more."</p><p>"Thank you, ma'am," Sam said. The girl handed them menus and they made their way to the table.</p><p>The couple at the table introduced themselves as Noel and Josie. "We've been fans of this place since they opened," Noel told them. "My wife consulted on the design when Avalon and Veronica bought the house and transformed it into a restaurant."</p><p>Josie nodded. "I'm a friend of Veronica's family. Normally my architecture work is focused on larger spaces, but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to work on a haunted house."</p><p>Dean and Sam glanced at each other. "Haunted?" Dean asked.</p><p>Noel rolled his eyes. "I'm convinced that's just a story to get people to come here."</p><p>"Veronica certainly seemed jumpy during the renovations. Always looking over her shoulder and saying she'd heard something." Josie smiled at her husband before adding, "Noel insists it was all my imagination, that the reputation of the place got to me. I grew up in the neighborhood, and I've always heard it was haunted."</p><p>Noel shook his head. "The version I heard is that some of the parents in this area made up the story to convince kids to stay away when the house was abandoned for a few years and fell into disrepair."</p><p>"It didn't work. Being haunted was a big draw, especially around Halloween. My best friend and I snuck in to spend the night when I was fifteen."</p><p>"Did you notice anything unusual?" Dean asked. "Cold spots, weird noises, stuff moving on its own?"</p><p>"Creaking noises, odd breezes," Josie confirmed. "Once —"</p><p>Noel interrupted. "At least let them look at the menus before you dive into the story. It's a good one, but I know from experience it takes a while to tell it."</p><p>For a few minutes they were all quiet, other than ordering drinks when a waiter stopped by to check on them. When the drinks arrived, Dean ordered the pepperoni pizza and a slice of the peanut butter pie. Sam decided on one of the vegetarian pizzas and an apple hand pie.</p><p>The food was excellent, and Josie's anecdotes kept them entertained. Sam made mental notes of the details, and he could tell Dean was doing the same.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>After lunch, Sam and Dean found a local library where they looked into the history of the house. They didn't find anything that seemed to indicate it was haunted.</p><p>What they did learn was that the restaurant owners had paid cash for the building. Neither Veronica nor Avalon had that kind of money. The cash seemed to come from an investor who wasn't named in any of the documents Sam could find. He continued looking into the money and contracts, while Dean returned to the restaurant. It was closed now, with a film crew filling the kitchen space. Dean walked around the building, looking for any clues of something supernatural.</p><p>"We're closed."</p><p>Dean looked up to see one of the women who'd been featured in newspaper articles about the restaurant. This must be Veronica. "I had lunch here," he said. "It was awesome."</p><p>Veronica relaxed slightly. "What was your favorite?"</p><p>"Definitely the pie. I want to go through the entire menu and try every flavor." He noticed a sign in the window. "I'm between jobs and I heard you were looking for help."</p><p>"Do you cook?"</p><p>"Not much," he admitted, "but I've done clean up and taken orders at some diners." That had been in his high school days, as a way to earn money to feed himself and Sam when his dad was busy. Dean might be out of practice, but he knew he could pull his weight, and it would be a way to get the inside scoop on whether there was really a ghost.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>"It's been three days, and there isn't any evidence of a ghost. Don't you think it's time we move on?" Sam asked. He was sitting on his bed in the motel room, balancing his computer on his lap while he searched for reports of supernatural activity.</p><p>Dean pulled on his Pie Hole shirt. "Not yet. I still think there's something off about Veronica."</p><p>"We can't stick around here forever."</p><p>"One more day," Dean said. "If I haven't uncovered anything spooky about the restaurant by the end of my shift, we'll leave."</p><p>It was Monday, a typically slow day for restaurants, and that meant when Dean arrived at the Pie Hole, Avalon would finally have time to talk. Dean hefted the large bags of flour and other ingredients used in her pie crusts and watched her measure out what she needed for the next batch. "You okay?" he asked, as she rubbed her wrists.</p><p>"Yes. I just hold my stress in my forearms, and that's going to make this a painful day." She paused. "How do you feel about learning to make the dough we use for pie crusts?"</p><p>"I'll do about anything for those pies," Dean said. He scrubbed his hands and then followed Avalon's instructions. He waited a few minutes before asking, "What's causing your stress?"</p><p>"Veronica's meeting with our investor this evening. After all this time, she still won't let me come along. I mean, we got married this year, and I'm still excluded?" Avalon paused to describe the next step in making the pie crust.</p><p>"What do you know about this guy?"</p><p>"Next to nothing. Not even his name. They meet once each quarter, in the alley behind the restaurant. Last time I snuck out to get a glimpse of him." She shrugged. "He reminded me a little of David Bowie. Tall, lean guy with a 1980s vibe and weird eyes."</p><p>"Weird how?"</p><p>Avalon ignored the question to say, "You want to stop mixing the dough now, or you'll overwork it."</p><p>Dean looked at the dough and back at Avalon. "Are you sure?"</p><p>"Positive. We'll wrap this up for refrigeration." She demonstrated and he helped with that step of the process.</p><p>"What was weird about his eyes?" Dean asked.</p><p>"He must have been wearing some kind of contacts, because his eyes looked solid red."</p><p>Dean waited until they had rolled out crusts for several pies before taking a break to call Sam.</p><p>"A crossroads demon?" Sam asked.</p><p>"Sounds like Veronica made some kind of deal with him."</p><p>"We'd wondered how they could afford to buy the building. That could be where the demon comes in, but it's unusual for one to check in so often."</p><p>"Call Bobby," Dean suggested. "See if he's heard of anything like that. Then you can stake out the alley and confront the demon when he appears."</p><p>When Dean went back inside, Avalon taught him how to make several of the pie fillings. Cherry, apple, peach, custard, even the peanut butter pie recipes were revealed. Then there were the cream pies, and the mysteries of meringues.</p><p>As the lunch rush began, he transitioned back to his usual role of clearing tables and cleaning dishes. Sam called in the afternoon with a non-update. Bobby didn't know of any crossroads demons who returned quarterly.</p><p>In the afternoon Dean made more pies, learning how to weave the lattice on top of the fruit pies, and how to crimp the edges on hand pies. Then the evening rush began, and he made note of when Veronica slipped outside. He texted Sam to let him know.</p><p>Twenty minutes later, Veronica returned to the kitchen, accompanied by Sam and the investor Avalon had described. He wasn't as tall as Sam, who had the guy's collar firmly in his fist.</p><p>"Meet the crossroads demon," Sam said. "Otherwise known as Paul." Paul had one red eye and one normal eye. Sam held up a red contact lens. "Turns out Paul is a trust fund baby with a twisted sense of humor who likes to make loans to people who are desperate. He has a whole set of magic tricks and illusions to sell the demon act."</p><p>Avalon stared at Veronica. "You took money from a demon?"</p><p>"Not a demon," Sam clarified. "I splashed him with holy water to be sure."</p><p>Avalon shook her head. "But Veronica thought he was. You… You would sell your soul?"</p><p>"He didn't ask for my soul." Veronica shot a glare at Paul before turning her attention back to her wife. "He gets all of our recipes. He owns them, and five years from when we opened we'll have to pay him for the right to continue using them."</p><p>"All of our customers' favorites? That's the soul of the Pie Hole." Avalon looked appalled. "How much do we have to pay to keep our signature dishes on the menu?"</p><p>Sam let go of Paul. "Get in touch with a good contract lawyer. It's very possible that the agreement isn't legal. Dean, are you ready to go?"</p><p>Dean checked his watch. "I'm still working for another hour. Why don't you go out front and order dinner?"</p><p>"On the house," Veronica added.</p><p>An hour later, Dean carried a pie box to Sam's table. "They were so grateful that they paid me for the last few days and gave me a pie."</p><p>Sam nodded. "You were right about Veronica being nervous about something. She was terrified when she believed that guy was a demon."</p><p>"It's our first case that went Scooby Doo. Not a ghost, but a greedy goon in disguise." Dean opened the pie box, and plated two servings of cherry pie. He slid one over to his brother.</p><p>"They're letting you keep the Pie Hole shirt?" Sam asked before eating a forkful of pie.</p><p>Dean grinned. "I've learned the art of making pies, so Avalon said I'd earned it."</p><p>"I thought you were a busboy."</p><p>"Today I graduated to pie apprentice." Dean paused to taste the pie and moaned in pleasure. "Damn, I'm good."</p><p>"You made this pie?"</p><p>"I'm a man of many talents."</p><p>"That you are," Sam agreed. "Just imagine what you could learn to make if we specialized in helping haunted restaurants."</p><p>Dean was too happy to kick his brother under the table. "Did I tell you I talked to Guy Fieri when he was wrapping up filming? I saw him in the parking lot, and he asked if the Impala was for sale."</p><p>"Please tell me you didn't hit him."</p><p>"Are you kidding? I told him he had great taste in cars. Then we talked about the rumors that this place is haunted, and he said he's doing a whole show about restaurants that supposedly have ghosts." Dean pulled out his wallet and handed Sam a business card. One side had Guy Fieri's contact information, and the other had the names of two other restaurants. "Turns out the film crew is a little freaked out about it, and they'd welcome someone with expertise in the supernatural. So yeah, we could specialize in haunted restaurants for a while."</p><p>Sam chuckled and gestured toward his empty plate. "I'm not going to say no if it means you keep learning how to cook like this."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! To the best of my knowledge, Triple-D has not featured a haunted restaurant. The Pie Hole is not based on a real restaurant, and I tip my hat to the restaurants that actually chose that name. </p><p>See the Pinterest board for pins from this story<br/>https://www.pinterest.com/pennanomen/other-stories/demons-drive-ins-and-dives-spn-fic/<br/>Our blog is Penna and Silbrith Conversation</p></blockquote></div></div>
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